Air Canada may have agreed a deal with striking cabin crew and resumed flights, but the dispute caused − and is still causing − major disruption to passengers' travel plans.
More than 10,000 flight attendants walked out on Saturday, triggering a standoff with the Montreal-based carrier.
A return to work order from the government on Sunday did not end the dispute over pay and conditions. However, early on Tuesday, Air Canada said it would “gradually restart” operations after reaching a mediated agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
“Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible. Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking,” Air Canada president and chief executive Michael Rousseau said, acknowledging that the full restoration of operations might “require a week or more”.
From Dubai, Air Canada operates a daily flight to Toronto at 1.25am. Data from Dubai Airports shows that Wednesday's flight still marked as cancelled.
Refund rights
Grace Guino, a Dubai resident, was booked for the Tuesday flight, having purchased the ticket on June 14.
On Monday, she received an email from Air Canada at 4.34pm, which she shared with The National, informing her that her flight was cancelled due to a “labour disruption [that] is impacting our operations … outside our control”.
The airline said at the time it was searching for rebooking options on more than 120 carriers for up to three days after the cancelled flight. Ms Guino was also given the option to refund, which she took.
Affected customers should check airline policies around refunds and cancellations, as well as any attached penalties for doing so, said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research. He added that passengers should not be penalised for seeking compensation.
“Others might elect to defer and rearrange travel – but that will be predicated on how quickly this strike is concluded. If it drags on, those wanting to travel into or out of Canada will simply rebook elsewhere,” he told The National.
Ms Guino's full ticket cost was about C$1,530 ($1,106), which included a C$300 voucher. However, Air Canada refunded her C$1,830, meaning she received both the full cost of the ticket plus the voucher.
“As soon as I saw the news [of the government intervention] over the weekend, I was hopeful the situation would be resolved immediately,” she told The National.
Ms Guino – who was travelling to attend a concert by English rock band Oasis – was forced to then find an alternative flight; she was able to book one on Emirates, but to Montreal and at a cost of about Dh8,400 ($2,290).
“It was frustrating, of course. But at least I got my refund immediately … and I was able to plan earlier,” she said.
'It was chaos'
Meanwhile, a Canadian resident who travelled to Dubai for work said he was stranded in Venice on the way to Toronto from Dubai due to the cancellation of Air Canada flights.
The passenger travelled to Venice from Dubai on an Emirates flight on Saturday morning and was supposed to take an Air Canada flight to Toronto on Sunday, after a 20-hour layover at Venice. However, that turned into a more than two-day stay amid the cancellations.
“Probably five or six hours before the departure of the flight, Air Canada announced the cancellation of flight,” he told The National.
“The first thing was how to get the luggage out and it was a hassle. We called Air Canada and their numbers were off. Finally, I called Emirates; they helped me get our luggage and what needed to be done, and then, finally, an Air Canada representative offered us a stay for a night in Venice.”
However, when they reached the airport, the flight on the following day − Monday − was also cancelled. An Air Canada representative helped him find seats on Air France to travel to Paris, and from there to Detroit on Delta Air Lines. After reaching Detroit, he planned to take a bus to travel to Windsor in Canada and drive to Toronto to reach his final destination. For all the re-bookings and extra transport, he had to shell out an additional C$2,000 to get to Toronto.
“It was chaos,” said the passenger.
Another Air Canada passenger, Zee, a Czech national who has been living in Dubai for the past 10 years, said his wife and children are stuck in Canada because of the situation.
“They were supposed to have reached Dubai on Sunday evening from Toronto but will only reach there tomorrow [Wednesday] morning on a different flight, because of the current situation with Air Canada,” Zee told The National.
“They were in limbo with the Air Canada app saying that the flight was scheduled and on time, while there's an email communication saying everything is cancelled. It was not helpful, because they were on standby waiting … overall, terrible communication from Air Canada … terrible timing,” he said.
Mr Zee said his family plans to seek a refund from Air Canada for the cancelled journey once the strike ends and the family returns.
“Overall, it is a sad situation and frustrating. My wife was supposed to have [resumed work] on Monday but will now start on Wednesday, soon after reaching Dubai.”
The strike at Air Canada, or for any other carrier that may experience the same situation, is also a lesson and opportunity for its rivals, Mr Ahmad said.
“While the strike continues and Air Canada’s reputation lies in tatters, rival airlines will do whatever they can to accommodate travellers and poach that traffic away in the short term,” he said.
“The longer this drags on, the impact on Air Canada could well result in the airline losing regular and coveted loyal business customers that often pay top dollars to fly them – given the competition across the Atlantic in particular, Air Canada isn’t the only game in town to reach Canadian cities – and they’ll be well aware of that.”
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
info-box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Happy Tenant
Started: January 2019
Co-founders: Joe Moufarrej and Umar Rana
Based: Dubai
Sector: Technology, real-estate
Initial investment: Dh2.5 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 4,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
